The Hungarian–Romanian War ( Hungarian : Magyar–Román Háború ; Romanian : Războiul Româno-Ungar ) was fought between Hungary and Romania from 13 November 1918 to 3 August 1919. The conflict had a complex background, with often contradictory motivations for the parties involved.
149-661: After the unilateral self-disarmament of the Hungarian army by the pacifist Hungarian prime minister Count Mihály Károlyi , the Allies of World War I intended that Romania's Army , the Czechoslovak army and the Franco-Serbian armies to occupy various parts of Kingdom of Hungary . At the same time, there was a reluctance to allow Romania to occupy Hungary fully, although their intention was to, at least in part, satisfy
298-466: A Privatdozent with the aim of embarking on a university career. But soon politics took over, and he focused on trying to establish a socialist party that would at the same time appeal to Hungarian nationalism. He left for Paris in January 1905 and became acquainted with French academic and political life; he later wrote that the six months he spent there "shook me to the very core of my being and became
447-736: A social democratic communist coalition government and proclaimed the Hungarian Soviet Republic . Days later, the communists purged the Social Democrats from the government. The Hungarian Soviet Republic was a small communist rump state . When the Republic of Councils in Hungary was established, it controlled only approximately 23% of the Hungary 's historic territory. The communists remained bitterly unpopular in
596-454: A "typical symptom of the very strong and seemingly unqualified drive for assimilation that he and many Jewish contemporaries displayed around that time... This was the family climate that gave rise in the then six-year-old Oszkár to a self-image whereby for a long time thereafter he was simply unwilling to acknowledge his Jewish origins." The family also converted to Calvinism in the same year 1881. Oszkár's mother, Roza Liebermann (1853–1931),
745-592: A Romanian army division and some other newly formed units were moved from the Hungarian front to Bessarabia, those threats did not deter Romania's actions in Hungary. On 9 February 1918, the Central Powers and Ukraine signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk , which recognised Ukraine as a neutral and independent state. Incursions into Romanian territory ceased. From January–May 1919, there were some further limited actions by Soviet forces against Romania. In late January,
894-604: A Romanian population existed in a single state. In the Treaty of Bucharest of August 17, 1916, terms for Romania's acquisition of territories in Austria-Hungary were stipulated. However, in military and geopolitical sense, the key factor in Romania's entry into the war was the successes of the Russian Brusilov offensive against Austria-Hungary. After a short Romanian initial success, the campaign turned into
1043-406: A civil servant, he was not permitted to write on political subjects, so his articles began appearing under the name "Oszkár Elemér." In the summer of 1899, he and a number of his friends began planning a new periodical which would present social issues in a more down-to-earth way than in scholarly journals; it was named Huszadik Század (Twentieth Century), and began publication in January 1900. Jászi
1192-462: A co-ordinated action against Hungary by French, Serb and Romanian forces from the south and the east. However, the Allies also promised favour to Hungary in subsequent peace negotiations in delineating Hungary's new borders. On 12 June, the council discussed Hungary's proposed new borders with Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. On 23 June, Hungary signed an armistice with Czechoslovakia. By 4 July,
1341-632: A demarcation line that had been agreed upon by the representatives of the Allies and Hungary at the Armistice of Belgrade . Following a request from Romania, the Allied Command in the east, led by French General Louis Franchet d'Espèrey , allowed the Romanian Army to advance to the line of the western Carpathians. The 7th Infantry division advanced toward Cluj , and the 1st division advanced in toward Alba Iulia . On 24 December, units of
1490-586: A force capable of fighting Romania and Czechoslovakia. Hungary had 20,000 troops facing the Romanian Army and mobilised a further 60,000. There were recruitment centres in towns such as Nagyvárad , Gyula , Debrecen and Szolnok . There were some elite units and officers from the former Austro-Hungarian Army , but some were volunteers with little training. The Hungarian troops were equipped with 137 cannons and five armoured trains and were motivated by sentiments of Hungarian nationalism , rather than communist ideals. Kun hoped that Soviet Russia would attack Romania from
1639-530: A leadership role. The Károlyi family were an illustrious, extremely wealthy, Catholic aristocratic family who had played an important role in Hungarian society since the 17th century. His parents were cousins: his father was Count Gyula (Julius) Károlyi (1837 - 1890), his mother was Countess Georgine Károlyi. Mihály Károlyi was born on March 4, 1875, in the Károlyi Palace in the aristocratic palace district of Pest. Károlyi's parents were cousins, and he
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#17327720064471788-429: A man is taken seriously by serious people" . Baron Lajos Hatvany described Károlyi's leadership noting: "From the discussions no decisions arose, and from the decisions – no actions. A cabinet? No, it was a debating club" . (From 31 October 1918 to 19 January 1919) (19 January 1919 to 21 March 1919) On 19 January 1919, Károlyi resigned as Prime Minister to concentrate exclusively on his duties as President of
1937-531: A military disaster for Romania. After three months of war, two thirds of the territory of the Kingdom of Romania were occupied by the Central Powers . Bucharest , the capital city of Romania, was captured by the Central Powers on 6 December 1916. German General August von Mackensen was appointed as the "military governor" of the occupied territories of Romania. Following Russia's ceasefire agreements ,
2086-616: A passport from the Bordeaux authorities. Afterwards he travelled to Genoa via Madrid and Barcelona and then returned home. On his way home to the Kingdom of Hungary, he crossed Italy at a time when Italy had not yet declared war on the Central powers and was therefore considered a neutral country . Károlyi was opposed to the involvement in the First World War . Initially, he remained silent on these feelings, and even read
2235-528: A plane, inviting Allied troops to fraternise with them. Sixty French soldiers crossed the Dniester River to support the Russians. The Bolshevik Soviet Russian forces entered Tighina and held the town for a number of hours. The Romanian Army's 4th and 5th infantry divisions were moved to Bessarabia. In southern Bessarabia a territorial command unit formed by the Romanian Army's 15th Infantry Division
2384-401: A political disagreement. The 34-bout duel with cavalry sabres lasted an hour until Tisza cut Károlyi's arm and the seconds ended the duel. In 1914, at the time of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand , Károlyi was on his American tour, where he gave lectures at various universities with his friend Zsigmond Kunfi . During his American tour, he sent telegram messages to Budapest for
2533-487: A pro-war declaration from his party. He did this as a result of internal pressure, having faced indignation after refusing to support war loans. In 1915, he volunteered in the 1st Hungarian Hussar Regiment in Budapest after being called for service. Later on, in his memoirs, he regretted having ever reluctantly supported the war due to political pressure. The horrors of the war prompted him to accept isolation to openly oppose
2682-608: A reserve status. Only the 9th and 10th infantry divisions and the 1st and 2nd cavalry divisions were at full strength. However, those units were engaged in the protection of Bessarabia against Soviet Russia. On 11 November 1918, Germany signed an armistice with Allies under which they had to immediately withdraw all German troops in Romania and in the Ottoman Empire , the Austro-Hungarian Empire and
2831-715: A result of its defeat on the Italian Front . During the war, the liberal Hungarian aristocrat Count Mihály Károlyi had led a small but very active pacifist antiwar maverick faction in the Hungarian Parliament. He had even organised covert contacts with British and French diplomats in Switzerland during the war. On 31 October 1918, the Aster Revolution in Budapest brought to power Károlyi,
2980-485: A sharp turning point; for, after a couple of weeks of recovery, Mihály started to speak quickly, fluently and very elaborately, despite the fact that the family and relatives formerly thought that he was too dumb to speak. His severe developmental disorder was a decisive factor in the development of Karolyi's personality. His struggle to learn to speak and to live a full life after his cleft palate surgery sapped his willpower. As an adult, "iron will, ambition, stubbornness and
3129-470: A substantial impact on world civilization." He returned to Hungary in the midst of a constitutional crisis. The Liberal Party of István Tisza , which had been the governing party for three decades, had lost the February elections, and the emperor-king Franz Josef refused to invite the opposition groups to form a government; instead, he appointed Field Marshal Baron Géza Fejérváry as prime minister, and
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#17327720064473278-648: A supporter of the Allies . The Hungarian Royal Honvéd army still consisted of 1,400,000 soldiers, who had been recruited from the territory of Kingdom of Hungary when Mihály Károlyi was announced as Hungarian prime minister . Károlyi yielded to US President Woodrow Wilson 's demand for pacifism by ordering the disarmament of the Hungarian Army, which happened under the direction of War Minister Béla Linder on 2 November 1918. The unilateral disarmament of its army made Hungary remain without national defence. Thus it became particularly vulnerable. Oszkár Jászi ,
3427-612: A war-time pacifist faction in parliament. Therefore, Károlyi formed a new party, called the United Party of Independence of 1848; generally known as the Károlyi Party . In January 1918, Károlyi proclaimed himself a follower of Woodrow Wilson 's Fourteen Points . On 7 November 1914 in Budapest , Károlyi married Countess Katalin Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka, with whom he had three children. As Károlyi's wife
3576-504: A youth, the truth is that Karolyi's youthful life was no different from that of aristocrats of his age. He loved travelling most of all, even going as far as the island of Ceylon, but he also travelled to almost every country in Europe and visited the USA four times. When he was at home, his favourite pastimes were horse riding, polo and hunting, but he also enjoyed playing cards and chess . He
3725-479: The 1848 revolution in Hungary , his idea of organizing peasants into farming cooperatives. Having unbroken optimistic faith in the rapid development of science and technology, which he thought would solve all problems of humankind, he developed an idealistic devotion to the cause of social justice based on his reading experiences, including the French Encyclopédie and Jules Verne novels. Although he
3874-553: The Aster Revolution on 31 October. In 1918, when the Aster Revolution broke out and it became clear that Mihály Károlyi would become head of government, his half-brother, Count József Károlyi (1884-1934), (chief bailiff of Fejér county, member of parliament), resigned from his post and became the most aggressive political opponent of Mihály Károlyi's government. King Charles IV. was all but forced to appoint Károlyi as his Hungarian prime minister. One of Károlyi's first acts
4023-959: The Bolshevik forces in Russia while the Romanian authorities conditioned this involvement on the fulfillment of the promises made by the Allies in 1916. Some Allied leaders in Paris supported the advance of the Romanian Army while the Council of Four withheld its approval of the military actions. The French General Staff encouraged a continued Romanian advance to Budapest , with Generals Ferdinand Foch , Louis Franchet d'Espèrey , and Henri Mathias Berthelot particularly in favor of this approach. In Transylvania there were political and ethnic tensions between various Romanian , Hungarian , Saxon , and other ethnic groups. However, Romania's motivations to enter
4172-1013: The Hungarian Soviet Republic . The liberal president Károlyi was arrested by the new Communist government on the first day. He managed to make his escape and flee to Paris in July 1919. On 10 April 1919, "Romanian troops began to invade Hungary to forestall reconquest of Transylvania . A provisional government was set up by Count Julius Karolyi (brother of Michael), Count István Bethlen , Admiral Horthy , and Archduke Joseph at Szeged (under French occupation)." On 4 July 1919 Károlyi fled to Austria, later he moved to Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. In late 1919, he went into exile in France and during World War II, in Britain . Oszk%C3%A1r J%C3%A1szi Oszkár Jászi (born Oszkár Jakubovits ; 2 March 1875 – 13 February 1957), also known in English as Oscar Jászi,
4321-585: The Odessa Soviet Republic to invade Romania and make sporadic attacks across the Dniester River to reclaim territory from the Bessarabia Governorate . The Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic , established in 1924, was later used the same way. Romania successfully repelled both incursions. After the commencement of communist rule in Hungary, Soviet Russia pressured Romania with ultimatums and threats of war. Although
4470-643: The Russian Empire back to German territory. The Allies were to have access to those countries. After the German armistice, the units of the German Army, under the command of Marshal August von Mackensen, were ordered to retreat to Germany. On 10 November 1918, Romania re-entered the war on the side of the Allied forces, with similar objectives to those of 1916. King Ferdinand called for the mobilisation of
4619-481: The Treaty of Bucharest (1918) with the Central Powers, but the treaty was never signed by King Ferdinand I of Romania . At the end of 1918, Romania's situation was dire. It was suffering from the consequences of punitive war reparations. Dobruja was under Bulgarian occupation. The bulk of the Romanian Army was demobilised and had only four full-strength divisions. A further eight divisions were left in
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4768-587: The Union of Transylvania with Romania was officiated by the 1,228 elected representatives of the Romanian people of Transylvania, Banat, Crișana and Maramureș, who proclaimed the union with Romania. Later, the Transylvanian Saxons and Banat Swabians also supported the union. On 7 December, Brașov was occupied by the Romanian Army. Later that month, Romanian units reached the line of the Mureș River,
4917-613: The 1901 and 1905 and 1906 parliamentary elections in the lower house of parliament (House of Representatives) without success; however, as a count, he had a right to participate in the Upper house (House of Magnates) of parliament. In 1910, Károlyi was elected to Parliament as a member of the opposition Party of Independence, so he could participate in political life as a member of the House of representatives in parliament. István Tisza and Mihály Károlyi became implacable political enemies following
5066-536: The 1905 elections. Their debates in parliament further increased their mutual personal antagonism with time. An important milestone in his confrontation with liberal conservatism was when, in June 1912, after the vote on the Defence Act, the parliamentary speaker István Tisza put an end to the opposition's protests with police violence. Opposition members, who had been removed from the chamber, then joined forces with
5215-585: The 1918-19 revolution, Jászi cited his inability to tolerate "the complete denial of freedom of thought and conscience" which characterized the Red regime as well as his expectation of the regime's imminent collapse and its succession by a violent counter-revolutionary regime as reasons for his departure. He went to the United States in 1925 and joined the faculty of Oberlin College , where he settled down to
5364-566: The 9th Regiment. By 18 April, the first elements of the Romanian offensive had been completed, and the Hungarian front had been broken. On 19 April, Romanian forces took Carei (Nagykároly), and on 20 April, they took Oradea (Nagyvárad) and Salonta (Nagyszalonta). Rather than following the instructions of the Vix Note, the Romanian Army pressed on for the Tisza River , an easily defended natural military obstacle. On 23 April, Debrecen
5513-762: The Allied Commander in the Balkans, the French General Louis Franchet d'Esperey . General Franchet d'Esperey treated the Hungarians with open contempt and imposed a harsher armistice on the defeated nation than the Padua Armistice had. The Belgrade Armistice was nonetheless seen as a victory for Károlyi, as it represented some degree of de facto recognition of his government on the part of the Allies. The Belgrade Armistice
5662-562: The Allies and the Soviet Russians. In exchange for Hungary's agreement to the conditions set out in the Vix Note, the Allies promised to lift the blockade of Hungary and to take a benevolent attitude towards Hungary's loss of territory to Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia . Kun refused the terms and demanded the Romanian forces return to the line of the Maros (Mureș) River. Smuts' negotiations ceased. Kun stalled for time to build
5811-432: The Allies to lift the blockade led to public criticism of Károlyi . Making things worse was the creation of Czechoslovakia which had cut Hungary off from supplies of German coal . Hungary which possessed little coal depended upon German coal imports. Without coal, most had to live without heat in the winter of 1918–19, and the railroad network had gradually ceased to function. The collapse of railroads in their turn caused
5960-770: The Allies. General Moșoiu became the governor of the military district between the Romanian border and the Tisza River. General Mihăescu became commander of the north battalion. The 7th Division was moved to the Russian front in Moldavia. On 24 May, King Ferdinand I of Romania and Iuliu Maniu (the head of Transylvania's Directory Council [ ro ] ) visited the frontline area and met with generals Constantin Prezan , Gheorghe Mărdărescu , and Ștefan Panaitescu [ ro ] at Békéscsaba. In late May, after
6109-733: The Czech forces. When a new demarcation line was negotiated, Hungary ceded administration of the areas given to the Prague government, but refused to withdraw its army any further. All through the winter of 1918–19, the Romanians , the Yugoslavs and the Czechoslovaks often broke the armistice in order to seize more territory for themselves. After January 1919, Károlyi began to consider the idea of an alliance with Soviet Russia, through Károlyi
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6258-526: The Entente military representative demanded more territorial concessions from Hungary, Kun attempted to "fulfill" his promise to adhere to Hungary's historic borders. Kun ordered the preparation of an offensive against Czechoslovakia , which would increase his domestic support by making good on his promise to "restore" Hungary's borders. The men of the Hungarian Red Army were recruited mainly from
6407-518: The French presented the Vix Note ordering Hungarian troops further back into Hungary; it was widely assumed that the military lines would be the new frontiers. Károlyi and Prime Minister Dénes Berinkey were now in an untenable position. Although they did not want to accept this French demand, they were in no position to reject it either. On 21 March, Berinkey resigned. Károlyi then announced that only
6556-656: The Horthy era, he was identified as one of the main causes of Treaty of Trianon and officially sentenced as a traitor by the legal court. Conversely, according to the political left, he was respected as a statesman who recognized that the culpable war policies of the leaders of the Monarchy were leading Hungary into the disaster of World War I, and he attempted, in his own way, to counteract this. These contradictions in his evaluation still continue to resonate among various political factions of Hungarian domestic political life even in
6705-576: The Hungarian Army had retreated 15 km south of the Hungarian–Czechoslovak demarcation line. The council demanded Romania leave Tiszántúl and to respect the new borders. Romania said it would not do so until the Hungarian Army had demobilised. Kun said that he would continue to depend on the might of his army. On 11 July, the council ordered Marshal Ferdinand Foch to prepare a co-ordinated attack against Hungary by using Serb, French and Romanian forces. Hungary, in turn, prepared for action along
6854-482: The Hungarian Red Army started to disintegrate because of tensions between nationalists and communists during the establishment of the Slovak Soviet Republic. The concession eroded the support of the communist government by professional military officers and nationalists in the Hungarian Red Army. Even the chief of general staff , Aurél Stromfeld, resigned his post in protest. When the French promised
7003-476: The Hungarian countryside, where the authority of that government was often nonexistent. The communist had real popular support only among the proletarian masses of large industrial centres, especially in Budapest, where the working class represented a high proportion of the population. The communist government followed the soviet model. The party established its terror groups (like the infamous Lenin Boys ) to "overcome
7152-592: The Hungarian flank with troops from the 16th Infantry Division and the Second Vânători Division and aimed to maintain contact with the Czechoslovak Army. Hungarian troops prevailed and the Romanian Army retreated to its bridgehead at Tokaj . There, between 25 and 30 May, Romanian forces were required to defend their position against Hungarian attacks. On 3 June, the Romanian Army was forced into further retreat but extended its line of defence along
7301-441: The Hungarian government that Romanian forces would withdraw from the Tiszántúl , Kun withdrew from Czechoslovakia his remaining military units that had remained loyal after the political fiasco with the Slovak Soviet Republic. Kun then unsuccessfully tried to turn the remaining units of the demoralized Hungarian Red Army on the Romanians. The Union of Bessarabia with Romania was signed on 9 April 1918. It brought these lands within
7450-415: The Hungarian unilateral self-disarmament, Czech, Serbian, and Romanian political leaders chose to attack Hungary instead of holding democratic plebiscites concerning the disputed areas. On March 21, 1919, the liberal-democratic Károlyi government was replaced by a new Soviet-influenced regime headed by Béla Kun and the second phase of the Hungarian revolution began. Jászi later recalled that he advised
7599-408: The Magyarország magazine, where he shared his geopolitical opinion about the deepening crisis in Europe. “By throwing ourselves entirely into Germany’s arms we have put ourselves in a situation which is called stalemate in chess. We are not in check-mate, but any move by us will mean checkmate.” “The entire note [ultimatum to Serbia] with its firmness and rudeness and the formidable severity of
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#17327720064477748-453: The Ministry. In 1908 Jászi and his friends "became associated with Freemasonry , with Jaszi the head of a separate lodge; and this connection was the prime reason why in Hungary Freemasonry was linked with progressive change. In 1910 he was appointed Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Kolozsvár , where he continued to refine and propagate his political opinions; in the words of Hugh Seton-Watson , "Jászi hoped that, if only
7897-634: The Prague government in western Hungary on November 9th. As a result, Linder resigned his post as Minister of Defence on November 9th and was replaced with Albert Bartha, who was now faced with the task of reorganizing and re-arming the Hungarian military. In a speech on November 11th, Károlyi announced that the Hungarian army had ceased disarming and was prepared to defend Hungary from the Czech incursion. When Prague sent Gendarmes to occupy several majority Slovak districts in western Hungary, Károlyi followed through on his promise to defend Hungary's borders, mobilizing divisions of repatriated POWs who managed to repel
8046-410: The Provisional Government from 1 November 1918 until 16 November, when the Hungarian Democratic Republic was proclaimed. Károlyi ruled Hungary through a National Council, transformed into the government that consisted of his party in alliance with the large Hungarian Social Democratic Party and the small Civic Radical Party led by Oszkár Jászi . Additional trouble for the new government occurred over
8195-459: The Republic. He appointed Dénes Berinkey to form the new government. On the 1st of November, his new Hungarian government decided to recall all of the troops, who were conscripted from the territory of Kingdom of Hungary. It became a major blow for the Habsburg's armies on the Italian Front which accelerated and secured the collapse of Austria-Hungary. The Hungarian Royal Honvéd army still had more than 1,400,000 soldiers when Mihály Károlyi
8344-472: The Romanian Army and ordered it to attack by crossing the Carpathian Mountains into Transylvania . The 1st Vânători and the 7th and 8th Infantry divisions, stationed in Moldavia , were the first units to be mobilised. The 8th was sent to Bukovina and the other two were sent to Transylvania. On 13 November, the 7th entered Transylvania at the Prisăcani River in the Eastern Carpathians . The 1st then entered Transylvania at Palanca, Bacău . On 1 December,
8493-431: The Romanian Army entered Cluj-Napoca . By 22 January 1919, the Romanian army controlled all the territory to the Mureș River. The 7th and 1st divisions were spread thinly and so the 2nd Division was sent to Sibiu and the 6th Division to Brașov . Two new infantry divisions, the 16th and 18th, were formed from soldiers previously mobilised in the Austro-Hungarian Army . A unified command of the Romanian Army in Transylvania
8642-525: The Romanian Army fortified its positions in Bessarabia. On 1 May, Bolshevik Soviet Russian Foreign Minister Georgy Chicherin issued an ultimatum to the Romanian government to leave Bessarabia. Under the command of Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko , Bolshevik Soviet Russian troops gathered along the Dniester River in preparation for a large attack on Bessarabia on 10 May. The attacks in Bessarabia intensified and peaked on 27–28 May with an uprising in Tighina . In preparation for this attack, they threw manifestos from
8791-467: The Romanian Army in the east. The Hungarian Red Army recruited men between 19 and 25 years old. Industrial workers from Budapest volunteered. Many former Austro-Hungarian officers re-enlisted for patriotic reasons. The Hungarian Red Army moved its 1st and 5th artillery divisions (40 battalions) northwards to Czechoslovakia. On 20 May 1919, a force under Colonel Aurél Stromfeld attacked and routed Czechoslovak troops from Miskolc . The Romanian Army attacked
8940-425: The Romanian Army was not to enter those cities. A demilitarised zone was to be created extending from the new demarcation line to 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) beyond the line. The demilitarised zone represented the extent of Romanian territorial requests on Hungary. The retreat of the Hungarian Army behind the western border of the demilitarised zone was to begin on 22 March. On 19 March, Hungary received notification of
9089-434: The Romanian army was forced to sign the Armistice of Focșani on 9 December 1917. In 1918, after the October Revolution , the Bolsheviks signed a separate peace with the Central Powers in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk . Romania was alone on the Eastern Front , a situation that far surpassed its military capabilities. Therefore, on 7 May 1918, Romania sued for peace. Romanian Prime Minister Alexandru Marghiloman signed
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#17327720064479238-408: The Romanian claims in accordance with the Treaty of Bucharest (1916) which proposed that Hungary cede Transylvania , Partium and parts of Banat to Romania. The situation was further complicated by the strained relationship between the Romanian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference and the Great Powers. France, in particular, was keen on the participation of Romania in the intervention against
9387-400: The Romanian troops would not cross the Tisza River. On 2 May, Hungary sued for peace by a request delivered by his representative, Lieutenant Colonel Henrik Werth . Kun was prepared to recognise all of Romania's territorial demands, request the cessation of hostilities and ask for ongoing control of Hungarian internal affairs. Romania offered an armistice but gave it only under pressure from
9536-401: The Social Democrats could form a new government. It was decided that an alliance would be sought with the Communists led by Béla Kun . Unbeknowst to Károlyi, the Democratic Socialists and the Communist Party came to the decision that Károlyi should be removed from power. Hours after Berinkey resigned, the newly merged Hungarian Socialist Party announced Károlyi's resignation and the formation of
9685-407: The Tisza River and reinforced its position with the 8th Division, which had been moving forward from Bukovina since 22 May. Hungary at the time controlled the territory from its old borders and had regained control of industrial areas around Miskolc , Salgótarján , Banská Štiavnica (Selmecbánya), and Košice (Kassa). Despite promises for the restoration of the former borders of Hungary, after
9834-448: The Tisza River. The Romanian Army faced the Hungarian army along the Tisza River front line over a distance of 250 kilometres (160 mi). The front extended from beyond Szeged in the south, adjacent to French and Serb troops, to Tokaj , in the north, adjacent to Czechoslovak troops. On 17 July, Hungary attacked. Bela Kun's Red Army was led by political commissars because the experienced professional military officers resigned after
9983-583: The Ukrainian Army, under Bolshevik command, moved towards Zbruch . Ukrainian forces took Khotyn , a town that had been occupied by Romania since 10 November 1918. Ukrainian forces held Khotyn for a few days before they were routed by the Romanian Army. Soviet Russia was then fending off attacks by the Armed Forces of South Russia led by Anton Denikin . Three French and two Greek army divisions under General Philippe Henri Joseph d'Anselme with support from Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian volunteers, attacked Soviet troops near Odessa . On 21 March 1919, in support of
10132-414: The United States. He was promptly arrested, as a citizen of a belligerent country, despite the fact that Austria-Hungary was not yet at war with the French Republic. Consequently, he was released from prison. Later, he was arrested again for several weeks in Bordeaux for being a citizen of a belligerent country. However, after promising that he wouldn't fight against the French during the war, he finally got
10281-407: The War, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly were temporarily banned on the grounds of wartime interests. The Karolyi government reintroduced freedom of the press, freedom of association and freedom of assembly. With the economy on the verge of collapse as a result of the war, and with mass poverty and inflation, social reforms were introduced: unemployment benefit, tax arrears waivers, a ban on
10430-535: The age of 30, the young tycoon started to get serious and subsequently developed an interest in politics and public life . In his youth, he was a wastrel, but, as he grew older, he became devoted to more serious pursuits. In 1909, he became the President of the OMGE (National Agricultural Society), the main rural organization of the nobility. Initially a supporter of the existing political and social system in Hungary, Károlyi gradually became more progressive, leaning to left-wing orientation during his career. He ran in
10579-465: The alliance of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and the German Empire : instead he advocated friendship between the peoples and argued against war and supported a pro- Entente foreign policy. Károlyi made contact with British and French Entente diplomats behind the scenes in Switzerland during the war. He argued for peace with the Allies, loosing ties between Austria and Hungary, abolishing the property-based franchise requirements that allowed only 5.8% of
10728-590: The allied attack, Romanian troops of the 39th Regiment occupied Tiraspol . In April, at Berzov, the Bolshevik Soviet Russian 3rd Army defeated d'Anselme's forces, which retreated towards Odessa. In late April, a change in government in France led to withdrawal of the Allied forces from Odessa. The troops left by ship and abandoned some heavy equipment. Some troops, with Ukrainian and Russian volunteers, retreated through southern Bessarabia. Meanwhile,
10877-711: The assassination of István Tisza and the appointment of Mihály Károlyi as new prime minister of Hungary: "I was certainly no adherent of the ancient regime, but it seems doubtful to me whether it is a sign of political shrewdness to beat to death the smartest of the many counts [Count István Tisza] and to make the stupidest one [Count Mihály Károlyi] president." In the same vein, the British writer Harold Nicolson , who had known Károlyi during his exile in Britain, when reviewing Károlyi's memoirs in 1957 noted that: "he had many qualities, but unfortunately lacked those for which
11026-571: The attempt failed. Jászi resigned from the Károlyi government in December 1918, believing that no serious progress in the nationalities question would be possible owing to the arbitrary partitioning of Hungary by the victorious Entente powers. "I hoped that release from the burdens of office and from the obligations of cabinet solidarity would enable me to put forward my views more energetically," Jászi later recalled in his memoirs. Jászi hoped for
11175-454: The big thrill of my life." While there, he wrote an article called "The Sociological Method—Two Opinions" in which he supported the approach of Émile Durkheim . He wrote another article attacking Marx as "the great fetish of socialism," which alienated some of his more radical friends. He came to believe that the Hungarians were "just tardy, pale echoes of the great Western efforts, with no intellectual trend emerging from Hungarian soil to have
11324-539: The claims it includes gives the impression, and cannot give any other impression, that the Monarchy wants to settle her account with Serbia. We might say that the Monarchy wants war... Even if the war is victorious, we are going to pay the price with a nation’s greatest treasure, humán life, the life of the young... We are not, we cannot be, enthusiastic about the war.” On August 5, when the war broke out, his ship arrived in Le Havre after returning from his long trip to
11473-471: The collapse of industry and hence mass unemployment . Of the more than forty laws and almost 400 decrees introduced by the Károlyi and Berinkey governments and passed by the National Council, the new electoral law gave the right to vote to all men over 21 and women over 24 who could read and write in any domestic language. General elections under the new law were scheduled for April 1919. During
11622-636: The degenerate political class could be removed from power, land be distributed to the peasants, and the vote be given to all citizens, a new Hungary could arise in which one Magyar culture could coexist with many languages." On June 6, 1914, Jászi united a number of progressive groups into the Országos Polgári Radikális Párt (National Civic Radical Party), which called for a universal suffrage, radical land reform, an autonomous customs area, and state control of education. Within six weeks World War I broke out; "the new party supported
11771-552: The democratic and socialist opposition outside parliament to organise joint people's rallies. At one of the first of these, on 16 June 1912 in Miskolc, Károlyi appeared as a speaker alongside the Civic Radical Democrat Oszkár Jászi and the social democrat Jenő Landler . In January 1913, Károlyi was challenged to a duel by prime minister István Tisza, after refusing to shake Tisza's hand following
11920-677: The dictatorial right-wing government and the Hungarian National Defence League (MOVE) led by Gyula Gömbös, which demanded the armed defence of the historic (pre-World War I) Hungarian borders. After an unemployment demonstration on 20 February 1919, which led to an armed confrontation in front of the Budapest offices of the Népszava newspaper, he imprisoned thirty-two leaders of the Communist Party of Hungary, including their leader, Béla Kun. On 20 March 1919
12069-425: The disputed borders to minorities, however, the political leaders of those minorities refused the very idea of democratic referendums at the Paris peace conference. Instead the Czech, Serbian, and Romanian political leaders chose to attack Hungary to seize territories. The military and political events changed rapidly and drastically after the Hungarian self-disarmament. For their part, the neighboring countries used
12218-495: The early 21st century. His half-brother, Count József Károlyi (1884–1934), was the head of Fejér County, a member of parliament, and one of the prominent legitimist politicians of the Horthy era. When he learned that Mihály Károlyi had become prime minister as a result of the 1918 Aster Revolution , Count József Károlyi resigned from his position and became one of the most aggressive critics and opponents of Mihály Károlyi's government, as he considered Mihály intellectually unfit for
12367-477: The east. When Kun declined the terms of the Vix Note, Romania acted to enforce the new railway demarcation line. The Romanian Army in Transylvania included 64 infantry battalions, 28 cavalry squadrons, 160 cannons, 32 howitzers, one armoured train, three air squadrons and two pioneer battalions, one north and one south. General Gheorghe Mărdărescu commanded the Romanian Army in Transylvania. The commander of
12516-618: The employment of children under 14, wage increases, a token severance payment for demobilised soldiers, the introduction of an eight-hour working day and the extension of social security. Alongside the democratic establishment, the governments of the Karolyi regime also sought to consolidate internal order, but with little success. Furthermore, the Social Democrats who were Hungary's largest party by far, frequently undercut Károlyi and imposed their decisions on him without taking responsibility for their actions. Károlyi wished to transfer almost all of
12665-470: The establishment of a Danube Confederation of nationalities patterned on the Swiss model. When Jászi became the new Minister for National Minorities of Hungary, immediately offered democratic referendums about the disputed borders for minorities; however, the political leaders of those minorities refused the very idea of democratic referendums regarding disputed territories at the Paris peace conference. After
12814-408: The forefront of politics until 1916, "the public heard far more about his motor car speeding, car accidents and card battles than his speeches in parliament." It was only after the Hungarian public opinion began to become disillusioned with the war that Károlyi began to look like a real alternative to the governing forces. His consistent and firm support for peace in his speeches made him very popular in
12963-479: The frame of the one-seater airplane and clung to the iron bars, making his flight with legs hanging in the air. Being a Francophone, as was the tradition in his family, he spent several years in Paris; he also traveled across the United Kingdom and the United States. As a gambling addict, he was known for his card battles, his losses and for his "dandy" lifestyle in famous casinos across Western Europe. Around
13112-410: The front and instructed all Hungarian units to lay down their arms. By Károlyi’s own admission, this order was informed mainly by a fear among Károlyi’s cabinet that soldiers could return armed, potentially causing disorder, threatening the new government, or prompting Allied intervention. Linder’s much maligned policy was very quickly reversed when Czechoslovak troops occupied several districts claimed by
13261-532: The harassing the Romanians outside the area controlled by the Romanian Army. The pacifist Károlyi government failed to manage domestic and military issues and lost popular support. On 20 March 1919, Béla Kun , who had been imprisoned in the Markó Street prison, was released. On 21 March, he led a successful communist coup d'état . President Károlyi was deposed and arrested by the new government. Kun formed
13410-429: The last year of the war. With this step began Károlyi's break with his own class. In high politics he became isolated, but he gained the trust and affection of simple people. He wrote in his memoirs: "I received, day after day, heaps of telegrams and letters in which hundreds of simple people assured me that I had spoken after their own heart, and asked me to persevere. When I travelled from from Parád to Budapest in
13559-438: The liberal president Count Mihály Károlyi's resignation and the subsequent creation of the Hungarian Soviet Republic . The threat of Béla Kun 's Hungarian Red Army and Red Guards linking up with other Bolshevik forces was decisive in the joint decision of several Allied representatives and the Romanian authorities to "settle the Hungarian question immediately". In 1918, Austria-Hungary collapsed politically and disintegrated as
13708-495: The lines. On the evening of 1 May, the entire east bank of the Tisza River was under the control of the Romanian Army. On 30 April, French Foreign Minister Stéphen Pichon summoned Ion I.C. Brătianu , the Romanian representative to the Paris Peace Conference. Romania was told to cease its advance at the Tisza River and to retreat to the first demarcation line imposed by the Allied council. Brătianu promised that
13857-575: The means of giving him back his birthright of a great and free Rumania from the Tisza to the Black Sea, and to prosper in peace in accordance with our customs and our hopes and dreams." On August 27, 1916, the Kingdom of Romania declared war against Austria-Hungary and entered the First World War on the side of the Allies . In doing so, Romania's goal was to unite all the territories in which
14006-589: The members of the Radical Party, dissolved in the aftermath of the Communist revolution, that "they should accept neither political or moral responsibility for the Communist regime, but should on no account attempt to copy the sabotage of the Russian intelligentsia; leaving politics aside, they should bend their minds to assisting the new system in the administrative and economic fields." Jászi emigrated from Hungary on May 1, 1919. In his published memoir of
14155-453: The middle of July (1917), common soldiers surrounded me at a railway station. One of them addressed me a speech. He called me an apostle of peace." He, who wants a democratic foreign policy, has to become, heart and soul, a democrat also in internal politics. In splitting the party of independence, Károlyi turned against those who proclaimed war but had their own sons exempted from military service. In his parliamentary speeches, Károlyi opposed
14304-624: The military successes the communists immediately declared the establishment of the Slovak Soviet Republic in Prešov (Eperjes) on 16 June 1919. After the proclamation of the Slovak Soviet Republic, the Hungarian nationalists and patriots soon realised that the new communist government had no intention to recapture the lost territories but only to spread communist ideology and establish other communist states in Europe, thus sacrificing Hungarian national interests. The Hungarian patriots and
14453-595: The modern Romanian state was not recognised by Soviet Russia , which was however, occupied in fighting the White movement , Poland , and Ukraine in its war for independence and so resources were not available to challenge Romania. The Bolshevik Soviet Russians might have used the Ukrainian paramilitary leader Nykyfor Hryhoriv to challenge Romania, but circumstances for that plan did not prove to be favourable. Prior to communist rule in Hungary, Soviet Russia had engaged
14602-550: The monarchy and some link to Austria if possible. Only after Charles's withdrawal from government on 16 November 1918 made Károlyi proclaim the Hungarian Democratic Republic , with himself as provisional president. On 11 January 1919 the National Council formally recognized him as president. Sigmund Freud , the Austrian psychologist—who had known the two politicians personally—wrote about
14751-469: The nation's borders. The government had popular support in the cities and the support of the army. Most of the officers in the Hungarian Army came from regions that had been forcibly occupied during the First World War, which heightened their patriotic mood. Hungary as a federation would appeal to Wilson under his doctrine of self-determination of peoples because of the nation's multiethnic composition. In addition, self-governed and self-directed institutions for
14900-504: The neutral zone and cross the demarcation lines were not limited only to protecting the ethnic Romanians, but also to occupy the territory in accordance with the 1916 agreement, thus presenting the Allies with a fait accompli . In the aftermath of World War I and the proclamation of the independence of Hungary from the Dual Monarchy , the Hungarians tried to convince the Allies that "Hungary should not be penalized too harshly for
15049-580: The new Minister for National Minorities of Hungary, offered referendums on the disputed borders for minorities (such as the Romanians in Transylvania ), but the political leaders of those minorities refused the very idea of referendums regarding disputed territories at the Paris Peace Conference. Six days later, on 5 November 1918, the Serbian Army , with the help of the French Army , crossed
15198-421: The new demarcation line and demilitaritarised zone from French Lieutenant Colonel Fernand Vix (the " Vix Note "). The Károlyi government would not accept the terms, which was a trigger for the coup d'état by Béla Kun , who formed the Hungarian Soviet Republic . Meanwhile, limited sporadic skirmishes took place between Romanian army and small local Hungarian civil insurgent groups. Some Hungarian elements engaged in
15347-493: The non-Magyar peoples of Hungary would lessen the dominance of the Magyar people . After 21 March 1919, Romania found itself between two nations with communist governments: Hungary to the west and Soviet Russia to the east. The Romanian delegation at the Paris Peace Conference asked the Romanian Army to be allowed to oust Kun's communist government in Hungary. The Allies were aware of the communist danger to Romania. However, there
15496-566: The north battalion was General Moșoiu. Romania planned to take offensive action on 16 April 1919. The north battalion was to take Nagykároly ( Carei ) and Nagyvárad ( Oradea ), which would separate the elite Hungarian Székely Division [ ro ] from the rest of the Hungarian Army. The north battalion would then outflank the Hungarian Army. Simultaneously, the south battalion would advance to Máriaradna (now part of Lipova ) and Belényes ( Beiuș ). When Kun became aware of Romanian preparations for an offensive, he fortified mountain passes in
15645-480: The obstacles" in the Hungarian countryside, which was later known as the Red Terror in Hungary . The new government promised equality and social justice . It proposed that Hungary be restructured as a federation . The proposal was designed to appeal to both domestic and foreign opinion. Domestic considerations included maintaining the territorial integrity and economic unity of former crown lands and protecting
15794-485: The opposition called for national resistance. In August, Jászi and some of his friends founded a League for Universal Suffrage by Secret Ballot; this marked the beginning of his political career. The following January, he wrote that "the constitution of today no longer corresponds to Hungary that half a century of its economic and cultural labors have created ... the key to the situation is in the hands of Hungarian organized labor"; in June 1906, he resigned from his position at
15943-629: The pacifist movement and called for the founding of a federation of states for the whole of Europe, a kind of forerunner of the League of Nations ." In the October Revolution of 1918, Jászi entered the Károlyi government as Minister of Nationalities; he "planned to induce the leaders of the various peoples, mainly the Romanians, Slovaks, and Ruthenians, to keep their people within the borders of Hungary by offering them maximum autonomy," but
16092-476: The political fiasco during the Hungarian-Czechoslovak war. Their commanders of small units were however experienced soldiers. The Hungarian Army mustered 100 infantry battalions (50,000 men), ten cavalry squadrons (1,365 men), 69 artillery batteries of calibers up to 305 mm, and nine armoured trains. The troops were organized into three groups: north, central, and south. The central group was
16241-415: The population to vote and run for office before the war, and giving women the right to vote and hold office. In particular, Károlyi demanded in 1915 that veterans should be granted the right to vote, which won so much popular support that it enraged Prime Minister, Count István Tisza . In 1916 Károlyi broke off with his party, which had found his openly pro-Entente attitude to be too radical and dangerous for
16390-432: The power and wealth of his family, which influenced his subsequent vanity, ambition and desire for power. Mihály was raised with great devotion in the castle of his grandmother at Fót, because his politician father, Count Julius Károlyi, had not enough time for Mihály. At the age of 14, his grandmother sent him to a Viennese clinic, where he underwent special surgery to restore his palate and mouth. This surgery proved to be
16539-474: The professional military officers in the Red Army saw the establishment of the Slovak Soviet Republic as a betrayal, and their support for the government began to erode (the communists and their government supported the establishment of a Slovak communist state, while the Hungarian patriots wanted to keep the reoccupied territories for Hungary). Despite a series of military victories against the Czechoslovak Army,
16688-579: The question of the armistice. Austria-Hungary had signed the Armistice of villa Giusti (close to Padua , Italy ) with the Allies on 3 November 1918. Since Hungary was now independent, some in the Cabinet argued that Hungary needed to sign a new armistice. Against his better judgement, Károlyi agreed to this idea, and had Hungary sign in November 1918, a new armistice with the Allies in Belgrade with
16837-399: The railway from Carei , through Oradea and north of Arad. The 20th and 21st infantry divisions were tasked with maintaining public order behind the third line. The first line was thin, as it was supposed to fight delaying actions until the true intentions of the attacking Hungarian Army were revealed. Then, together with troops in the second line, the first line was to be held until troops in
16986-479: The relatively small Romanian Army, Franco-Serbian army and the armed forces of the newly-established Czechoslovakia. During the rule of Károlyi's pacifist cabinet, Hungary lost control of approximately 75% of its former prewar territories (325,411 km (125,642 sq mi) . Proclamation of King Ferdinand I of Romania to the Romanian People, 28 August 1916: "In our moral energy and our valour lie
17135-476: The relatively small military forces of surrounding countries as the Franco-Serbian army, the Czechoslovak and the Romanian army. Károlyi had appointed Oszkár Jászi as the new Minister for National Minorities of Hungary. During their brief periods in power, Oszkár Jászi , hoped to create an "Eastern Switzerland" by persuading the non-Magyar peoples of Hungary to stay as part of the new Hungarian Republic. Jászi also immediately offered democratic referendums about
17284-432: The rural lands to the peasants. To set an example, he gave all of his own vast family estates to his tenants. But this was the only land transfer that took place; the Social Democrats blocked any measures that might give the control of those lands to the peasantry on the grounds that it was promoting capitalism. In February 1919, the government used police force against two recently formed extremist organisations: it dissolved
17433-549: The same time, there existed various revolutionary councils, which were dominated by the Social Democrats, which were not unlike the Soviets (Councils) that existed in Russia in 1917. This situation of Dual Power gave Károlyi responsibility without much power while giving the Social Democrats power without much responsibility. The war deepened social differences and disparity, since the wealthy social strata not directly involved in
17582-479: The security of his immense wealth drove him on his political career." Throughout his life, he has learned three foreign languages at almost native level: English, German and French. His mindset and character were shaped by external influences: including hatred towards the Habsburg dynasty, the traditional anti-German sentiment of his family, his foster father, the world-view of uncle Sándor Károlyi, his adoration of
17731-480: The sins of the old". Despite the Hungarian government offering concessions to the ethnic minorities, it was "too little, too late". The political leaders of ethnic Romanians, as well as Serbs, Slovaks, Croats, and other minorities, had already decided to secede. Moreover, the decision of the Council of Four to establish a neutral zone that largely reflected the treaty between Romania and the Allies in 1916 contributed to
17880-475: The situation between Romania and Hungary. On 4 April, South African General Jan Smuts was sent to Hungary and discussed with the Hungarian communist government a proposition that they abide by the conditions previously presented to Károlyi in the Vix Note. Smuts's mission also represented official recognition of the Kun government by the Allies. He may have asked if Kun would act as a conduit for communication between
18029-400: The so-called "struggle against communism ", against the capitalist and liberal government of Count Mihály Károlyi. During the rule of Károlyi's pacifist cabinet, Hungary lost control over approx. 75% of its former pre-WW1 territories (325 411 km ) without armed resistance and was subject to foreign occupation. The lines would apply until definitive borders could be established. Under
18178-627: The southern border of the Kingdom of Hungary . On 8 November, the Czechoslovak Army crossed the northern border, and on 13 November, the Romanian Army crossed the eastern border. That day, Károlyi signed an armistice with the Allies in Belgrade , which limited the size of the Hungarian Army to six infantry and two cavalry divisions. Demarcation lines defining the territory to remain under Hungarian control were made. The lines would apply until definitive borders could be established. Under
18327-545: The strongest. Hungary planned to cross the Tisza River with all three groups. The north group would advance towards Satu Mare (Szatmárnémeti), the central group to Oradea (Nagyvárad), and the south group to Arad . Their aim was to incite Bolshevik Soviet Russia to attack Bessarabia. The Romanian Army was composed of 92 battalions (48,000 men), 58 cavalry squadrons (12,000 men), 80 artillery batteries of calibers up to 155 mm, two armoured trains and some support units. They were positioned along three lines. The first line
18476-465: The terms of the armistice, Serbian and French troops advanced from the south and took control of the Banat and Croatia. Czechoslovakia took control of Upper Hungary (today mostly Slovakia ) and Carpathian Ruthenia . Romanian forces were permitted to advance to the Mureș River. However, on 14 November, Serbia occupied Pécs . The Hungarian unilateral disarmament made the occupation of Hungary possible for
18625-497: The terms of the armistice, Serbian and French troops advanced from the south, taking control of the Banat and Croatia. Czechoslovak forces took control of Upper Hungary and Carpathian Ruthenia . Romanian forces were permitted to advance to the River Maros (Mureș) . However, on 14 November, Serbia occupied Pécs . Many citizens thought that Károlyi could negotiate soft peace terms with the Allies for Hungary. Károlyi headed
18774-413: The territory controlled by the Hungarian Red Army. Then, on the night of 15–16 April, the Hungarians launched a pre-emptive attack, but the Romanian lines held. On 16 April, the Romanian Army commenced its offensive. After heavy fighting, the Romanians took the mountain passes. On the front of the 2nd Vânători Division, a battalion of Hungarian cadets offered strong resistance; however, they were defeated by
18923-476: The third line could mount a counterattack. The Romanian command planned to use the railways under its control to move troops. Most Romanian soldiers were First World War veterans. Mih%C3%A1ly K%C3%A1rolyi Count Mihály Ádám György Miklós Károlyi de Nagykároly ( Hungarian : gróf nagykárolyi Károlyi Mihály Ádám György Miklós ; English: Michael Adam George Nicholas Károlyi ; or in short simple form: Michael Károlyi ; 4 March 1875 – 19 March 1955)
19072-408: The volunteers of the Budapest proletariat. In June, the Hungarian Red Army invaded the eastern part of the newly forming Czechoslovakia : Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia (approximately the former Upper Hungary ). The Hungarian Red Army achieved some early military success. Under the leadership of Colonel Aurél Stromfeld, it ousted Czechoslovak troops from the north and planned to march against
19221-469: The war could continue to live unchanged, i.e. carefree lives, and the wealth of the large entrepreneurs who supplied the war effort could even continue to grow enormously, while the wages of the workers who lived on wages were constantly and significantly devalued. The economic incompetence of the new government which printed more and more money, leading to massive inflation and even more impoverishment. Károlyi's failure to improve living conditions or persuade
19370-475: The war. From 1916 onward, he openly demanded that the war be ended and peace concluded immediately, even at the price of dissolving the alliance of Germany. Károlyi became part of a small but very active pacifist anti-war maverick faction in the Hungarian parliament. He and his followers withdrew to create their own separate party, which initially had only no more than 20 members. According to Tibor Hajdu, Károlyi's movement soon grew in popularity. Far from being at
19519-585: Was a Hungarian social scientist , historian , and politician . Oszkár Jászi was born in Nagykároly on March 2, 1875. His hometown was, as he put it in his unfinished memoirs, "the county seat of Szatmár , the center of a rich agricultural area, it was a major factor in Hungary's economic, municipal and political life." His father, Ferenc Jászi (1838–1910), was a family physician and (in his son's words) "an honorable, humane freethinker" who had had his family name changed from Jakobuvits to Jászi in 1881,
19668-431: Was a Hungarian politician who served as a leader of the short-lived and unrecognized First Hungarian Republic from 1918 to 1919. He served as prime minister between 1 and 16 November 1918 and as president between 16 November 1918 and 21 March 1919. The assessment of his political activities is strikingly contradictory, although there is a general consensus that he was a weak and unsuccessful leader. Beyond this, during
19817-519: Was a climate of dissension in the council among United States President Woodrow Wilson , British Prime Minister David Lloyd George , and French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau about guarantees required by France on its borders with Germany. In particular, the American delegation was convinced that French hardliners around Marshal Ferdinand Foch were trying to initiate a new conflict with Germany and Soviet Russia. The Allied council tried to defuse
19966-657: Was a member of one of Hungary's most powerful families; by the marriage, Károlyi got under the protection of his influential father-in-law. His only son, Adam Károlyi served in the Royal Air Force , who crashed due to a technical fault while testing an aircraft over the Isle of Wight in 1939. On 25 October 1918 Károlyi had formed the Hungarian National Council. Károlyi as the most prominent opponent of continued union with Austria, seized power during
20115-402: Was also strongly influenced by Gyula Pikler , though he would later reject the latter's "doctrinaire, anti-historical positivism." At this point he admired figures like József Eötvös and Pál Gyulai , thus aligning himself with "the principled European strand of Hungarian liberalism that stood against clericalism and the blustering nationalism of those who sought independence from Austria." He
20264-517: Was awarded his diploma as Doctor of Political Science on July 2, 1896. Jászi then entered the Department of Economics in the Ministry of Agriculture as a drafting clerk, remaining there for a decade; he received little pay at first but had a great deal of free time. He studied Hungary's agricultural policies and realized the "rigid and ruthless class character" of the country's administration. As
20413-461: Was born with a cleft lip and cleft palate , which deeply determined his entire childhood and personality development. His mother died early from tuberculosis and his father soon remarried. His father considered Mihály unsuitable for a more serious career, because of his speech disorder . Due to his cleft lip and cleft palate, the young Mihály was often mocked and humiliated during his childhood by his cousins and other relatives of similar age, despite
20562-434: Was designated as prime minister of Hungary. However, he took up the case of pacifism in accordance with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points by ordering the unilateral self-disarmament of the Hungarian army, leaving the country defenseless at a time of particular vulnerability. This happened on 2 November 1918, while Béla Linder served as minister of war which made the occupation of Hungary directly possible for
20711-460: Was established. By the end of June, tensions in the area had eased. The Allies were deeply displeased by the Romanian advance to the Tisza River. The Allies asked Romania to retreat to the first railway demarcation line and to commence negotiations with the Kun government. Romania persisted at the Tisza Line. The Allies pressured Hungary to stop its incursions into Czechoslovakia by threatening
20860-507: Was established. Its headquarters were at Sibiu , with General Traian Moșoiu in command. Although Romania controlled new territories, it did not encompass all ethnic Romanians in the region. On 28 February 1919, at the Paris Peace Conference , the Allies notified Hungary of a new demarcation line to which the Romanian army would advance. The line coincided with railways connecting Satu Mare , Oradea , and Arad . However,
21009-473: Was interested in all technical innovations: he enjoyed driving cars and became a passionate collector of race cars and yachts. On one occasion a fellow pilot of Louis Blériot flew the plane to Hungary that had crossed the English Channel . Károlyi bargained with the pilot to board the famous plane and make a flight over Budapest. It was characteristic of the young Károlyi's recklessness that he sat on
21158-448: Was manned by the 16th Division in the north and the 18th Division in the south. More powerful units manned the second line: the 2nd Vânători Division in the north, concentrated in and around Nyíregyháza , and the 1st Vânători Division in the south, concentrated in and around Békéscsaba . The third line was manned by Romania's strongest units: the 1st and 6th infantry divisions, the 1st and 2nd cavalry divisions and support units. It lay on
21307-564: Was not interested in university lectures, he managed to pass his exams with the help of a tutor and obtained a law degree. At the age of 24, he became an unbridled adult. He wanted to make up for what he had missed as a teenager, throwing himself into the nightlife, with enthusiasm; he spent his time flagrantly, playing cards, having fun hunting. He lived in French spa towns, attended many international horse races and early automobile races in various European countries. Although his political opponents later sought to denounce his hedonistic lifestyle as
21456-417: Was occupied by Romanian forces. The Romanian Army then began preparations for an assault on Békéscsaba . On 25–26 April, after some heavy fighting, Békéscsaba fell to Romanian forces. The Hungarians retreated to Szolnok and, from there, across the Tisza River. They established two concentric defense lines extending from the Tisza River around Szolnok. Between 29 April and 1 May, the Romanian Army broke through
21605-427: Was opposed to the idea of Communism in Hungary itself. In addition, as Hungary had signed an armistice, not a peace treaty, the Allied blockade continued until such time as a peace treaty was signed. Hungary had suffered from food shortages throughout the war and deaths from starvation had become common from 1917 onwards. Furthermore, the country had been overwhelmed with refugees from Transylvania and Galicia . At
21754-488: Was the intellectual driving force; "it was he who, with the occasional tough, combative article, declared war on scientific narrow-mindedness and political 'reactionism.'" A year later, in January 1901, Jászi and his friends founded the Sociological Society, which immediately became a venue for sharp debates. At the beginning of 1904 his book Art and Morality appeared, and Jászi hoped to begin qualifying as
21903-511: Was the widowed doctor's second wife. Oszkár attended "the local Piarist grammar school—the same establishment attended by Endre Ady , two years younger and later to become the supreme poet of their generation (though the two became friends, this dated from their adult years)." Having done very well academically, he graduated a year early at seventeen, in 1892, and studied political science at the University of Budapest under Ágost Pulszky ; he
22052-505: Was to repudiate the compromise agreement on 31 October, effectively terminating the personal union with Austria and thus officially dissolving the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and state. On the 1st of November, Károlyi's new government decided to recall all of the troops, who were conscripted from the territory of Kingdom of Hungary, which was a major blow for the Habsburg's armies on the fronts. Károlyi would have preferred to keep
22201-514: Was well received back in Budapest. French recognition of Károlyi's government did not, however, materialize, and it soon became apparent that the French Foreign Office considered the treaty a "dead letter". Moreover, Károlyi's opponents argued that by needlessly seeking a second armistice, Károlyi had worsened Hungary's situation. Upon the National Council's seizure of power, Minister of Defence Béla Linder recalled all troops from
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